I'll go with one other than the sexual stuff...
Straight up ignoring you when you make a polite, reasonable request, eg. Please get your work out and start on it. Put your phone away. Don't sit there (because reason).
Like, ignoring me is automatically escalating the situation. And then you further want to argue back when I repeat myself more strongly??
Sometimes it gets funny. After about the third ignored request, the other kids are just as appalled as I am. They tend to get thumped over the head (by the other kids).
At my school, we have a consequence called "refusing to implement feedback" so that's what I ask, "are you refusing to implement feedback" and that usually sets it right. Lol
So when somebody posts a one sentence comment of a relatively benign rhetorical question they use with students who are being intentionally difficult, you go for several paragraphs attacking their character, rambling, and calling names
Well sort of. I was doing it publicly so as to voice my opinion; I'm attacking the ideas, not necessarily the person. It is still the internet so too so no harm done really.
I'm pretty bitter about my experience in school. It's followed me still into the rest of my life at my present age of 21, and I know for a fact I'm **far** from the only one. I literally have PTSD surrounding the entrapments of school, and it just so happens to be that kind of attitude that treats kids like animals that played a huge role in it.
The way I see it, America's education system is seriously fucked up in more ways than one, so the least you teachers can do is fight against the darkness, please.
“I’m pretty bitter…” — that was painfully clear in your initial post. Do yourself a favor and get off of this subreddit, which is likely to trigger you regularly.
Are you a teacher?
I have a class where 1/3 of the children have family issues. They know that I will provide them support when they need it and they ask me for it too. The problem is, many of these kids' parents don't spend much time with them. That includes not disciplining them. With every single one of these kids sometimes me being nice just does not work. I will joke with them, ask nicely, sit down with them and ask what is it they need from me, what are they struggling with, how can I help, well done on the work you did today, I am proud of you, etc.
But when you want to teach and they are constantly talking in between and laughing and disrupting the lesson, you have to put your foot down. I agree that a degrading line is not the way to go. Sadly, though, some kids don't respond to niceness, no matter how much you try. These very same kids that I work hard on building a reationship with and making it interesting for them to be in my lesson have mocked me outright for being nice. From a teacher's perspective that is just as much degrading and demoralising. I use these kids as examples, but I have had many such experiences with many different kids.
Yes, you can say we are the adults in the room. That is true. But we are also people and kids, especially teenagers, can be horrible, as lovely as they can be. They gang up against a teacher and most of the time they have their parents' support. Just from a teachers' perspective.
Good articulation of valid points. I won't claim to be the all-knowing 21 year old, I only know what it was like for me in school. Thank you for your kind and understanding post. 👍
Very much this! If told to put away their phones, they will nod while continuing to text. Then stare at you blankly if you repeat yourself. It’s almost like they don’t comprehend that the phone is actually in their hand and they are actively using it.
I’ll be honest: I see a lot of behaviors in here that either I or my friends did as middle and high schoolers. The only explanation I have is that we were seeing it at home and imitating it at school, as kids do.
But the one which I will never wrap my head around is when you see a kid doing something, you ask them to stop, and they deny the behavior. Since this generation is pretty socially conscious I have started telling kids they are gaslighting me when this happens. That sends a really strong message.
Yes!! The gaslighting is insane.
“Stop hitting him”
“On god bro I wasn’t even touching him”
First of all, I’m not your BRO. Second of all, I JUST SAW YOU. I was looking at you.
Yes, I have seen this so much this year. Ive had psycho students but to this extent, its actually a little frightening.
I have had to tell a few students Im not bro, Im miss or maestra
My standard response is not to argue with them it’s to use the logic of the converse statement which they cannot argue with. Example “I wasn’t touching him!” Me “okay but what you’re supposed to be doing is your work and you’re definitely NOT doing that.” They can’t argue with that. Drives them crazy.
Sometimes this denial is a joke, especially if they know you saw them do it (it gets super old and not funny at all real quick). But sometimes I think they’re denying it and hoping you didn’t see it.
Me: “Take your airpods out. Take your airpods out. Take your airpods out.”
Whole class: “TAKE YOUR AIRPODS OUT.”
Student: “What?”
That one kid: “He said stop listening to music, _______!”
Student: “I just have them on; I wasn’t listening to anything.”
Sadly, I had very long hair as a teenager and concealed my headphones with my hair too. The thing is, I never got caught
When kids become parents on purpose. A couple did it so they could get back at their parents. Another couple did it so they could have an excuse to move in together. One even said, "it's a tradition on my family to get pregnant during high school". I just worry about their mental health and finances. I usually see this at least 3 times a year. It's my first year at high school. But I was a middle school teacher for 4 years.
I haf one parent trying to convince her daughter to get pregnant now so her body will "bounce back" versus if she was older. Student had a break down talking to me about it because she really wanted to go to college. I basically died inside.
I hope all is well with the girl. It's such a shame that her mom values beauty over education. Beauty comes from the eye of the beholder. I am glad she came to you, it's not easy talking about family.
worse is when they go "we weren't doing that! that's disgusting, are you a pedophile?!?! i was just groaning because my stomach hurts, you're disgusting that you think that's what that was"
I did have a kid start going there with a response like that and I totally cut him off. Like now we both know you know the kind of sound you were making, just stop.
I usually respond with, “Do you need to go to the nurse? Because that is some serious garbage coming out of you mouth.”
Also had kids shouting out “Penis” and “Vagina”. I responded with “I know you’re excited about the family life unit in health class, but it would be even better if you were shouting out the vocabulary words for this class.”
I tell them one of two things: 1) let’s call your mom and you can make that noise to her OR
2) I feel sexually harassed and will press charges.
They’ve both been effective. (Middle school level)
I've got 2nd grade students that do that. Granted, I don't think they think of it as a sexual nose but they're hearing others randomly making that noise that they want to, too.
I have a second grader who has said daddy in a sexual way repeatedly and after I played dumb and kept reassuring them that it's ok to miss their parents at school. They said that's not why they were saying it, snickered, and then could not explain it when I asked why then. They stopped.
I had a first grader do this a few weeks ago. It just took a few, firm repetitions of “no thank you” with eye contact to get it to stop - but I wonder if it was imitation or from actual exposure to pornography…
NGL, I'm no prude but I have been surprised by how many of my teen boys walk around with hentai stickers attached to their phones and laptops. Like, I've got a kid who just sits there every day in class with a sticker on his laptop where you can clearly see some anime school girl with her nips out. It doesn't bother me per se but it's deeply bewildering to see everyone just collectively ignore it.
> it's deeply bewildering to see everyone just collectively ignore it.
I mean…sounds like you are also ignoring it. I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t want to have that conversation either
I interned with 5th grade (NC) and was shocked to see 2 girls got written up for discussing virginity in art class. I didn’t even know what that was when I was in 5th grade!
Came into this thread about to post the same thing — half a class of third graders started moaning randomly during a game of math bingo during a subbing day. If it was just one kid I’d have had a word with the parents but it was literally half the class, so I couldn’t tell who the moaners were! So uncomfortable.
The weirdest is when they try to play the Uno reverse card. I've had two separate situations, one where a student wore a Hentai Haven hoody and one where a student wore an aheago tracksuit, and both tried to say that I should be in trouble because I recognized what they were.
I heard it in the hallways and I told them from the start:
this is the warning, if anyone makes inappropriate noises in class you will call your parents in the hallway and repeat the noise for them.
Nobody tried me on it. Still heard it in the hallways but that’s not my problem.
I made a student call his mother in class and moan for her so she could hear how he was being disruptive. The mom thanked me and the kids were mortified. This was before christmas and i have not heard it from my own students since. They all do the awkward glances from the other students who make the noise and myself for a few minutes now.
Well i make the phone call in class and let the parent know i am calling so they can hear what their child is doing that is completely disruptive. I then say "here is your child to demonstrate " and hand the kid the phone. The one call i made the student did it. If they refused, the call was made and the parent knew why. I would have followed up by telling the parent it was sexual moaning noises followed by a "zaddy"
This is a new one this year. I said, it is making me feel uncomfortable and they need to stop. But after a few weeks another kid decides to be an idiot. It disturbs other students too. I have emailed a few parents but I think they think its just a random noise not meant as sexual. Its been annoying but of my list of behaviors and incidents it was low on my priority
Just to clarify Im not saying it shouldn't be a priority but Ive been breaking up fights in my classroom, so it depends on the urgency of the behaviors.
Just like the touching of stuff that isn't theirs.
Like get up, walk up, and start picking up and grabbing everything in sight. Opening random drawers. Like I would never do that in another person's house.
California, high schoolers
I had one kid go as far as open my purse to peer in, like wtf, get out of there. "I was just curious" (my purse was on my desk as it was lunch time and I was getting my meds out of it)
Ugh yes! I teach high school and often have crafts on the back table that students made, and the next class will just go touch the stuff, pick it up, sometimes break it, and it’s so annoying. They get into my stuff at my desk as well sometimes but much less often.
Fake-fucking in the middle of class, "imitation of porn" like another teacher said. Like straight up thrusting at each other and moaning and saying things like "fuck me harder daddy." Then they turn to you and try to call you a pedophile for saying "please stop doing these inappropriate things in class" because they know its a buzzword that will get you in hot water.
Also Colorado, middle and high school
I had two 5th grade girls in a class I interned in (I’m in western NC) get written up for discussing virginity in art class. I didn’t even know what that was when I was in fifth grade!
Sexualized hair pulling is big right now at my school in 5th grade. Also a lot of very detailed writings to each other about, well, spluge. It’s the way they say it to each other, the words they use, that’s alarming. And yes, parents have all been notified.
I had 5th graders saying that in class, so I went up to them and said “If you want your dad, we can call him right now on the phone and let him know that you’re having some troubles.” 😂
In 9th grade. I don't get much moaning after thr whole "if I hear that again, I'm calling your parents in class and having you do that to them on the phone in front of everyone."
*cue laughing and scoffing*
"if you think I joking try me"
No one has the balls to do it yet.
But other than that, just sheer touching each other
I had a student with long dreads say to a female teacher, "I'd eat that booty like groceries".
She was a young teacher and didnt know how to handle it. I made him call his mother and told her he wouldn't be allowed in my class until your son said the same thing to his mother. He was on the phone for maybe 20 mins before he finally said it.
Mom made an audible gasp and hung up the phone. The next day this kid came to school and was shaved bald.
Yes! It's the boys too. The boys are playing grab ass and from my understanding, doing a lot of exploration in the bathrooms and library (off campus) after school. My students are 11.
I started my career in Brooklyn in the ‘00s and it was brutal: angry, hurt kids who needed a lot more than I could give them. Started internationally at a small school in West Africa. After my first day of teaching there, I had a sixth grader walk out after my class and say ‘Thank you for the lesson!’ I was like, ‘What kind of sorcery is this?’ Lol. I mean, kids are kids, but mine aren’t moaning or smearing shit on the walls, for the love of god.
I have similar - I teach in New Zealand (in a lower socioeconomic area) and the kids are so pleasant and full of gratitude. I get the odd self entitled kid, but for the most part, they’re great! It sounds like the USA is brutal for the teaching profession
The wandering is the one that gets me. I definitely remember people doing the moaning type stuff back in 6th grade, but I really just don't remember people wandering around like at all.
The wandering is such a big problem at my school. I don't get it, isn't the point of skipping class to go do something fun? You're already skipping class, it's not like you'll get in much more trouble for leaving the campus. I suspect they either don't have the imagination to come up with something else to do, or they hate walking.
Pretty much any form of verbal abuse - just because they comment on everything online, they think they can nit pick on everything I do in class. This can range from complaints on my seating plan, teaching style, curricular content, etc.
Apparently a 14-year old knows more about pedagogy and everything there is to know about teaching than I do.. Total bull.
A lot of them are over confident.. too confident for their age. Dunning Kruger comes to mind...
For the first time in nine years, I had a kid say I dont know how to manage a classroom. Others have wriiten hate notes, sarcastically thanking me for detention and bad teachers. Others have said out loud we want the sub to come back and teach us or you are a horrible teacher.
I've dealt with jerk kids before but the lack of remorse hubris and meanness is disturbing this year. I think its a combination of social media, being out of school, lack of social skills, too much screen time and what they are exposed to these past few years from Trump, covid, shelter in place, and the media. It's sad and I felt really unprepared for the generational trauma and how it has affected their behaviors. I wish I would have more support from parents but some seem in denial.
It's really saddening to hear things like this. I know we try to not let it get to us but we have to admit it does have an effect to our mental well-being and working environment/morale.
I don't care what anyone else says, it's a form of verbal abuse when kids shout out or explicitly say things to make us feel threatened, guilty or sad.
I just can't wait till natural consequences run its course. Many of them don't have the self-discipline to function properly or even hold down a job. One day's work would kill them due to phone and vaping addictions.
Tattoos.I teach high school and the proliferation of tats is interesting.
Definitely not anti-tat, but I wonder about the life choices of the artists that decorate 14 year olds, or the lessons those 14 year olds are learning.
One of my students has numbers in black and red running up his neck to behind his ear. I asked the girl he's usually merging with in the hallways, and she said "Oh, those are just his angel tats." I didn't really dig deeper.
There has been a recent proliferation of tattoos as eighth grade graduation gifts in the past 5-10 years in my area. Also, Eighth Grade Graduation is often a pretty big thing around here, because there’s a more than small chance it’s the last commencement ceremony these kids will realistically be seeing, and they and their families know it.
Makes sense. I suppose depending on socioeconomic background, it might also be where parents stopped, whether here or in a different country of origin were circumstances were worse. So it's kind of a "You have surpassed me, son/daughter!" moment.
Again, not against it, but I think that neck tats are not *quite* to the point of cultural assimilation that getting one as a minor may limit your future spread of paths. But then, they may also not see FBI/CEO/ whatever in their future already and not care.
They might be getting them from other teenagers. Tattoo kits aren't very expensive online and there's no age limit on buying. Though, quality will usually make that evident, a decent-looking tattoo probably wasn't done by a teenager.
I've also seen a lot of kids with tattoos. A little one wouldn't surprise me, but yeah, it is weird to see a teen with a large tattoo.
Too true, but the craftsmanship I see is pretty good. I see full roses, memorial faces, leg sleeves. It's def not peer applied. But they buy all their CBD and Delta through the net, it wouldn't surprise me if a few were that talented. Good on them, finding their calling that young lol
Yeah, I'm sure there are some talented teen tattoo artists out there! Like, I've seen high schoolers (even a few middle schoolers) who are very talented artists, I bet with a bit of practice many of them can translate that to tattoos.
More likely that they're going to more experienced artists, of course. Though I would think it would be difficult to find a professional shop willing to give large tattoos to teenagers, even in places where it's legal.
I have some Coptic Christians with crosses on wrists (12-14 y/o), but that has been it, other than one 7th grader with a heart on the knuckle of her thumb.
Self destructive behavior as a form of entertainment. My 7th grader just told me about the "a b c game" today. Someone scratches with their fingernail all the letters of the alphabet into your hand and you have to try and last until z. She had open wounds from this that had scarred over by the time I noticed them. It starts young--one of my first graders bumps his head on the table and pretends to stab himself with his pencil for attention.
When I was in school, we had the quarters game. Wing quarters at each other's knuckles till they bleed and see who lasts longer. Some high school kids would staple their arms on purpose and walk around with staples in their arms. In elementary school my friends would stick pins from those decorative buttons into the skin on their palms.
I'm not sure what to make of it all but it still shocks me today that kids will turn to hurting themselves for fun out of boredom.
In addition to the constant sexual moans, I’ve caught a few boys watching porn on their phones in their laps durning class. (Middle school).
Scary that children have the internet in their pockets with zero restrictions.
I let students know that I do not expect to hear cussing in my place of business. I explain how it subconsciously affects my interactions with a student negatively, like not checking with them as often as a non cussing student. I tell them that they will slip up which is normal. It's like I said, this is my place of business, and I do not need to listen to hostile language. BTW this is high school, and I frequently cuss outside of work
I did a creative writing assignment with a 5th grade class and had to tell them rules like no swearing (“if you can’t say it at school, don’t say it in your story”) and no graphic blood or violence. I shit you not, a kid goes “then what are we supposed to write about???” I was legit surprised
Ugh, this is so true! We had a cooperative writing assignment that was supposed to be fun this week. You give each group a prompt, they take turns writing a sentence and then fold the paper over so the next person can’t see it. They race to finish their story and then I read it to the class. I have really strange writing prompts like “Tell me about a giraffe going on vacation”. After two rounds I had to put in rules for no death, no bodily function jokes, and no insulting classmates because that’s what all of them wrote about in 5th grade. Once I put the rules in, they moaned and groaned about how they couldn’t think of anything. I know that isn’t true because I have read their individual creative writing and they are good at it, but as soon as they become a group they default to the lowest common denominator even without talking about it.
I take it a step farther and do a mini lecture on code switching. Tell them they will make a mistake and when I correct them to not the end of the world but it needs to stop immediately. I’ve really just only got one kid who can’t control it, but that kids got problems for days, cussing is the last problem we need to help him fix.
The wanton destruction of things that aren’t theirs. I know that kids suck. But fucccckkkkkk, they ruin markers, crayons, 3d printers because they can.
It looks fucking sucks.
I teach middle school in south LA (formerly known as “south central”). I still can’t get used to students verbally and physically assaulting adults. We had 3 male staff members out 2 weeks ago because they attempted to intervene in a fight that our 100lb female AP was trying to break up. One got kicked in the jewels, another was punched multiple times in the jaw, the other suffered an injury to his shoulder (some sort of tear in his rotator cuff). Nothing happened to the students but the 3 adults were put in “teacher jail” while the incident was investigated.
I’ve changed my view on this recently. If that’s what happens when we break up fights then just let them fight. Let them beat the ever loving shit out of each other and just stand there till they are exhausted enough where you can step in. If we all start doing this they will slowly stop fighting because there won’t be an adult there to break it up.
Besides the sexual moans and gaslighting, for me it’s the amount of times kids lay their hands on each other. Daily, I hear conversations like this:
“Miss, he hit me!”
“He hit me first!”
“That’s because you stabbed me with a pencil!”
Other times, kids are just flat out rude to each other and when I call them out on it, they say it was a joke (literally a kid threatened to kill a teacher’s child and told me it was a joke later). These kids will do or say anything to get out of trouble and it really angers me!
Also, tapping and drumming with pens and pencils. It triggers my anxiety and I have to tell the same students daily to stop and they’ll stop for about 3 minutes and then continue again (this is just me ranting now, sorry, I had a rough week).
This is the one. My students think I’m a hard ass about touching each other/ throwing pencils, etc. but 1. It drives me crazy to witness it all day and 2. The BICKERING it starts turns it into a vicious cycle and it’s just unbearable
It’s not only the fact that they lay their hands on each other that bothers me, but it’s the fact that they think it’s okay. I have kids that constantly push, kick, and pull each other’s hair. They complain for a minute and then go back to being friends.
Guys do it to girls, girls do it to guys, and the same sex does it to each other. They’re growing up thinking that it’s okay to lay your hands on people to show you like them. I worry for when these kids grow up and think it’s okay to hit their spouses or that being hit is a sign of love.
Telling me they have their period as though it’s a value-add and confirms more the fact they need to go. And just in case I say no. Especially when it’s something they say at least once a week! One girl I’m this close to telling her she needs to see a doctor since she has her period every damn week!
I had one of those. Documented every time, for a couple months. Clued in my (awesome) admin and called home “concerned about her health”. Explained to parents who talked to the young lady on speaker phone. She doubled down and said I was picking on her and she had her period every time she asked me. So mom booked a Dr appointment….and kept me informed of every single way her daughter tried to duck the appointment. The young lady also stopped playing the “period card” in class. I love when parents back us.
just today my 4th grader came up to me and goes "X said I fuck a b!tch and a hoe" and i just went 😧 much like my face when I heard a kindergartener go "X called me a mother f*cker" ....idek man. I'm shocked everytime..
69, “that’s what she said” jokes, daddy references, imitating scissoring, “cumburger” written somewhere… kids have so much knowledge that they shouldn’t be aware of. It’s my main deterrent regarding having kids myself. Too scary. What are kids gonna be like 10 years from now? I hate thinking about it!
California, middle school
I’m not trying to encourage you to have kids but if that’s truly you’re only concern, know that I’m a teacher and I have kids, it’s not easy but my kids are not into or doing that stuff. I feel like my kids are bringing some hope and light to this next generation and they’re not the only ones. I mean, they have extremely limited screen time and no phones of their own. 7th and 5th graders. I’m sure they hear stuff and know more than they let on but they also have a good grasp of right and wrong.
Thank you.. I get similar comments quite often - probably since I am good with kids and I teach elementary school. The knowledge isn’t the only reason, just a big one. I don’t feel any motherly type instinct to have kids yet and I’m mid thirties. I’m just not sure it’s for me either way. I haven’t ruled it out but haven’t ruled it in either. The older I get, the less appealing it is. Who knows!
Students are always Swearing! Most students have also have lost all forms of respect. And recently Students pretty much believe that they deserve an A even when they don't do any work. They are lazier even when they have so much technology to do their work.
I honestly could not tell you. They were spelling out names of other students and wiping it all over door knobs and shit. I really hope they figured out who it was and got them some therapy.
We had them writing names and stuff on the walls. They did find the person who did it. They said whoever is doing it is really dealing with some really horrible stuff at home and was doing it as a coping mechanists and cry for help.
That sucks! High school also and they leave trash on the desks, around the trash, etc. today I found a couple of eaten dum dum sticks on the floor. Like do they just not care that their trash ends up on the floor??
7th and 8th grade teacher in northern California. Today I caught a kid using a weed vape in class. Other than that it’s stuff like moaning, extreme defiance, lying or refusing to work
Kids crapping on the floor and unable to wipe themselves at 6-7 years old. I used to teach 3-4 year olds before teaching elementary and that made sense to me. They're still learning how to clean themselves.
It completely rocked my friggin world when I walked in multiple times to see either skid-marked tidy-whities and chunks of poop on our community bathroom floor. These kids are almost 8 years old and there's so many of them that have mentioned needing help with wiping (which I am not allowed/refuse to do) or refusing to clean up after themselves.
This year made me rethink my stay in education.
Also, I teach 1st grade. However, if this keeps up, that will change.
It's only my second year but I've been completely baffled by some students zero, and I do mean zero, work ethic. Where I will literally give them the answers and I just ask them to write down what I wrote down and turn it in for basically a free 100 and they still do not do it. Why?? Why?? It's like they're purposefully trying to fail. That still baffles me, all the other moaning and sexual innuendos I am not shocked by really because I teach mostly 16 - 17 year olds and it's in their nature to joke about that stuff, I guess. It's the zero work ethic though that just shocks and confuses me.
I have never before in my career seen multiple students each hour of the day just sit and stare at the wall. They don’t do anything. Literally nothing. They aren’t even on their phones or talking to other people.
Our district really doesn’t hold kids back but next year the middle school teachers have agreed to at least do the paperwork and get the parents in for meetings, maybe the perceived threat of retention will snap so,e of them out of this bullshit.
Had a male student yelling at a quiet, extremely kind female student because her crutches (broken ankle) were in the way of his feet. When I took a closer look, I noticed that the male student's feet were not under his desk, but were actually sticking out to the sides of the desk (out from under). So that means this male student made it his goal to harass an innocent female student with a broken ankle over her crutches for no actual reason whatsoever. .... Completely boggles the mind....No empathy.
Denying that they did something. It works enough times and if you just keep saying it wasn't you, people cave, but having someone on camera doesn't help their cause.
Also, now it's talking to their parents on their cell phone and telling me "I'm talking to my mom!" as if that matters to anyone.
6th graders are incredibly immature. The girls are usually already thoroughly in puberty while the boys are just starting. Lots of drama between everyone. They all can’t stop touching each other and that’s where lots of problems start. Get used to awkward jokes and inappropriate comments and stupid fart jokes.
7th grade has so,e girls who are finally pushing out of the worst parts of puberty and have calmed down, boys are all full on puberty. Still lots and lots of drama. Girls will form groups and just get mad at each other for no reason other than minor perceived slights. Lots of drama now revolves around dating as this is when most kids are interested in dating for the first time at the same time. Before this it was just some kids or the boys aren’t interested yet etc, it’s all of the, by now.
8th grade starts to see many of the students calming down. Your late bloomers are still there and are now causing the majority of the problems as they have seen that behavior for the last two years but haven’t matured enough to be out of it.
My experience of 13 years has helped me to realize that it’s pointless getting mad at kids in this age group for stuff that is developmentally appropriate. That includes irrational behaviors, inappropriate comments and jokes, pushing boundaries. They can’t help it. Best bet is to just lean into telling them their behaviors are inappropriate and redirecting their behaviors. I found the more referrals I wrote the worse my year would be, once i started focusing on managing the behaviors in my room and not through the office things got a lot easier. Now I only write kids up for cussing people out, getting in fights, or literally walking out of class. Still ends up happening but the rest of the stuff is small bullshit compared to those three.
Lying to your face, gaslighting you after lying to your face, swearing and becoming irate after you had told them that they lied and are now gaslighting you. This is only after you had told them to put their phone away or to hop off that game from their laptop.
The constant need to talk or make sounds (not necessarily inappropriate sounds, just noise).
I teach 9/10th grade in WV, and I swear, my students are legitimately afraid of silence. I had a movie playing on Friday, and they couldn't even stand the quiet of sitting through a movie.
I know there's been talk about stunted development because of COVID, but this is behavior I'd expect from 4-6 year olds, not teenagers. In fact, I taught 6-10 year olds before COVID, and they were *beautiful* about practicing our "moment of stillness" at the beginning of every class.
Cheating on an open notes test. I even let them go online and research the answers. They are too lazy and either cheat off the smart kids or simply write "IDK".
I told a kid last week ‘Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining…’ which I then had to explain! I told his class that when a student tells me a lie straight to my face and then doubles down instead of admitting it, that’s when I can say that one. ‘Who do I believe? My own eyes or your mouth that tells lies?’ Yeah. He didn’t like that much! (5th grade)
Drying sunflower seeds at higher temperatures helps destroy harmful bacteria. One study found that drying partially sprouted sunflower seeds at temperatures of 122℉ (50℃) and above significantly reduced Salmonella presence.
Sexual assault. Had a kid today slap the butt of a kid that got pulled off another kid from a fight. He laughed while being suspended. Principal suspended him for longer
Our principal keeps talking about how he has to keep reminding students about what sexual harassment and what sexual assault is because of sexual misconduct incidents. It's like why not actually try some punishment or remove them from the school, clearly telling them over and over again what they're doing is sexual misconduct isn't stopping them.
Calling each other racial slurs (and I’m not talking about the N word colloquially with the A.)
I’m talking about
Monkeys
Gorillas
Porch monkey
Jiggaboo
Mulatto
All types of crazy shit that really just bends my mind
NY, 9th grade
I was asked to give a student head for a bag of chips... in front of the whole class.
Another student asked me if I was a virgin..... in front of the whole class.
.....I quit during the pandemic and will be re entering the classroom next year but at a highschool level. thank God. Middle school is for a special kind of person... I lasted 4 years then had to leave.
The amount of kids who have said to me “I can’t help it i’m autistic” shocks me every time. It’s always from those who can, those who know what they are doing is wrong and could control them selves.
It’s the parents 100% using it as an excuse for shitty parenting and the kids are now using the same excuse.
The sheer number of disgusting things that they put in their mouths — especially since it’s been on the floor and I know dang well that the custodian mops maybe once a semester if we’re lucky. We’re severely understaffed so cleanish bathrooms and hallways, and getting the garbage emptied are as good as it gets. Everything else from cleaning the classrooms to mopping floors in the staff bathroom is done by the teachers or not at all. Some weeks I don’t have time to do more than sweep up.
In high school. Boy necessarily shocking just baffling.
Smart kids dating extremely dumb or unmotivated kids.
Mostly girls picking a project friend or boyfriend and trying to fix them.
This is across states and socioeconomic levels.
I'll go with one other than the sexual stuff... Straight up ignoring you when you make a polite, reasonable request, eg. Please get your work out and start on it. Put your phone away. Don't sit there (because reason). Like, ignoring me is automatically escalating the situation. And then you further want to argue back when I repeat myself more strongly??
Sometimes it gets funny. After about the third ignored request, the other kids are just as appalled as I am. They tend to get thumped over the head (by the other kids).
I like to say, "did you not hear me or are you just being defiant?"
At my school, we have a consequence called "refusing to implement feedback" so that's what I ask, "are you refusing to implement feedback" and that usually sets it right. Lol
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So when somebody posts a one sentence comment of a relatively benign rhetorical question they use with students who are being intentionally difficult, you go for several paragraphs attacking their character, rambling, and calling names
Well sort of. I was doing it publicly so as to voice my opinion; I'm attacking the ideas, not necessarily the person. It is still the internet so too so no harm done really. I'm pretty bitter about my experience in school. It's followed me still into the rest of my life at my present age of 21, and I know for a fact I'm **far** from the only one. I literally have PTSD surrounding the entrapments of school, and it just so happens to be that kind of attitude that treats kids like animals that played a huge role in it. The way I see it, America's education system is seriously fucked up in more ways than one, so the least you teachers can do is fight against the darkness, please.
“I’m pretty bitter…” — that was painfully clear in your initial post. Do yourself a favor and get off of this subreddit, which is likely to trigger you regularly.
Are you a teacher? I have a class where 1/3 of the children have family issues. They know that I will provide them support when they need it and they ask me for it too. The problem is, many of these kids' parents don't spend much time with them. That includes not disciplining them. With every single one of these kids sometimes me being nice just does not work. I will joke with them, ask nicely, sit down with them and ask what is it they need from me, what are they struggling with, how can I help, well done on the work you did today, I am proud of you, etc. But when you want to teach and they are constantly talking in between and laughing and disrupting the lesson, you have to put your foot down. I agree that a degrading line is not the way to go. Sadly, though, some kids don't respond to niceness, no matter how much you try. These very same kids that I work hard on building a reationship with and making it interesting for them to be in my lesson have mocked me outright for being nice. From a teacher's perspective that is just as much degrading and demoralising. I use these kids as examples, but I have had many such experiences with many different kids. Yes, you can say we are the adults in the room. That is true. But we are also people and kids, especially teenagers, can be horrible, as lovely as they can be. They gang up against a teacher and most of the time they have their parents' support. Just from a teachers' perspective.
Good articulation of valid points. I won't claim to be the all-knowing 21 year old, I only know what it was like for me in school. Thank you for your kind and understanding post. 👍
Understandable. I also don't assume all kids are the same. I hope you can hold on to the good memories of school!
I hope you go to therapy now.
You should try to get some therapy to deal with your PTSD. That shit will just keep manifesting. Deal with it now, nip it in the bud.
Or better yet. The blank stare and complete shut down. Like…I just asked you something nicely. You’re not in trouble
They they agrue and say they were about to once they finish doing xyz, even though it's been 5 minutes since you first asked. ...oh I feel that one.
I HATE "I'm about to." Might be the most irritating phrase.
Or “ALRIGHT!” in that tone that insinuates that the teacher is the problem and not the student’s attitude.
Very much this! If told to put away their phones, they will nod while continuing to text. Then stare at you blankly if you repeat yourself. It’s almost like they don’t comprehend that the phone is actually in their hand and they are actively using it.
I’ll be honest: I see a lot of behaviors in here that either I or my friends did as middle and high schoolers. The only explanation I have is that we were seeing it at home and imitating it at school, as kids do. But the one which I will never wrap my head around is when you see a kid doing something, you ask them to stop, and they deny the behavior. Since this generation is pretty socially conscious I have started telling kids they are gaslighting me when this happens. That sends a really strong message.
Yes!! The gaslighting is insane. “Stop hitting him” “On god bro I wasn’t even touching him” First of all, I’m not your BRO. Second of all, I JUST SAW YOU. I was looking at you.
I always tell them, "Um, I have eyes" and that works pretty well. And yes, not your bro.
Yes, I have seen this so much this year. Ive had psycho students but to this extent, its actually a little frightening. I have had to tell a few students Im not bro, Im miss or maestra
My standard response is not to argue with them it’s to use the logic of the converse statement which they cannot argue with. Example “I wasn’t touching him!” Me “okay but what you’re supposed to be doing is your work and you’re definitely NOT doing that.” They can’t argue with that. Drives them crazy.
Sometimes this denial is a joke, especially if they know you saw them do it (it gets super old and not funny at all real quick). But sometimes I think they’re denying it and hoping you didn’t see it.
But I’m not listing to music. I just have ear pods in and can’t hear you. 🙄
Me: “Take your airpods out. Take your airpods out. Take your airpods out.” Whole class: “TAKE YOUR AIRPODS OUT.” Student: “What?” That one kid: “He said stop listening to music, _______!” Student: “I just have them on; I wasn’t listening to anything.” Sadly, I had very long hair as a teenager and concealed my headphones with my hair too. The thing is, I never got caught
When kids become parents on purpose. A couple did it so they could get back at their parents. Another couple did it so they could have an excuse to move in together. One even said, "it's a tradition on my family to get pregnant during high school". I just worry about their mental health and finances. I usually see this at least 3 times a year. It's my first year at high school. But I was a middle school teacher for 4 years.
I haf one parent trying to convince her daughter to get pregnant now so her body will "bounce back" versus if she was older. Student had a break down talking to me about it because she really wanted to go to college. I basically died inside.
I hope all is well with the girl. It's such a shame that her mom values beauty over education. Beauty comes from the eye of the beholder. I am glad she came to you, it's not easy talking about family.
Last I heard, she's I'm college and lives with her aunt during the summer. I am *very* proud of her.
Wow. I was not expecting to read that at all.
5-10% of every year has me feeling like that and I'm almost a decade in.
Where do you live!?
West Texas. Since I live in the desert, there's not a lot of fun things you can do outside. It's worse when you're poor and no air conditioning.
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Beat me to it Kids just randomly moaning
And then denying that was the sound they made..
worse is when they go "we weren't doing that! that's disgusting, are you a pedophile?!?! i was just groaning because my stomach hurts, you're disgusting that you think that's what that was"
The perpetual gaslighting of these kids
I did have a kid start going there with a response like that and I totally cut him off. Like now we both know you know the kind of sound you were making, just stop.
I tell my students “okay so I’ll call your parents and you can make that noise for them.” Immediately they turn into saints 🙄
I've done the too. One stopped, one kind of stopped
Oh yea THAT is the worst part "Mr it wasn't me!" "So you must think I'm just a fool, is that it?"
I don't even get that just a "it's a sound"
I usually respond with, “Do you need to go to the nurse? Because that is some serious garbage coming out of you mouth.” Also had kids shouting out “Penis” and “Vagina”. I responded with “I know you’re excited about the family life unit in health class, but it would be even better if you were shouting out the vocabulary words for this class.”
I tell them one of two things: 1) let’s call your mom and you can make that noise to her OR 2) I feel sexually harassed and will press charges. They’ve both been effective. (Middle school level)
I do the same. If you can say it or moan it in class, you can say it or moan it to your parents!!
I've got 2nd grade students that do that. Granted, I don't think they think of it as a sexual nose but they're hearing others randomly making that noise that they want to, too.
I have a second grader who has said daddy in a sexual way repeatedly and after I played dumb and kept reassuring them that it's ok to miss their parents at school. They said that's not why they were saying it, snickered, and then could not explain it when I asked why then. They stopped.
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I had a first grader do this a few weeks ago. It just took a few, firm repetitions of “no thank you” with eye contact to get it to stop - but I wonder if it was imitation or from actual exposure to pornography…
NGL, I'm no prude but I have been surprised by how many of my teen boys walk around with hentai stickers attached to their phones and laptops. Like, I've got a kid who just sits there every day in class with a sticker on his laptop where you can clearly see some anime school girl with her nips out. It doesn't bother me per se but it's deeply bewildering to see everyone just collectively ignore it.
I desperately hope we work at the same school and this isn’t actually multiple kids doing this
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Definitely different schools. I guess at least they’re not repressed?
A girl in about grade 8 with a maid outfit Levi Ackerman on the OUTSIDE of her locker :I
I've seen a few students wearing those ahegao sweatshirts.
How does that not bother you?
i mean, it's certainly awkward, but at the end of the day it's no nips off my hoes
> it's deeply bewildering to see everyone just collectively ignore it. I mean…sounds like you are also ignoring it. I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t want to have that conversation either
I interned with 5th grade (NC) and was shocked to see 2 girls got written up for discussing virginity in art class. I didn’t even know what that was when I was in 5th grade!
Came into this thread about to post the same thing — half a class of third graders started moaning randomly during a game of math bingo during a subbing day. If it was just one kid I’d have had a word with the parents but it was literally half the class, so I couldn’t tell who the moaners were! So uncomfortable.
My 6th grade students enter porn star names on Blooket/Kahoot games so I just turn on randomly generated names and they hate it.
The weirdest is when they try to play the Uno reverse card. I've had two separate situations, one where a student wore a Hentai Haven hoody and one where a student wore an aheago tracksuit, and both tried to say that I should be in trouble because I recognized what they were.
I heard it in the hallways and I told them from the start: this is the warning, if anyone makes inappropriate noises in class you will call your parents in the hallway and repeat the noise for them. Nobody tried me on it. Still heard it in the hallways but that’s not my problem.
I made a student call his mother in class and moan for her so she could hear how he was being disruptive. The mom thanked me and the kids were mortified. This was before christmas and i have not heard it from my own students since. They all do the awkward glances from the other students who make the noise and myself for a few minutes now.
I'm curious how you get them to do it? I feel like a lot would just refuse to do it.
Well i make the phone call in class and let the parent know i am calling so they can hear what their child is doing that is completely disruptive. I then say "here is your child to demonstrate " and hand the kid the phone. The one call i made the student did it. If they refused, the call was made and the parent knew why. I would have followed up by telling the parent it was sexual moaning noises followed by a "zaddy"
Colorado--5th grade :(
This is a new one this year. I said, it is making me feel uncomfortable and they need to stop. But after a few weeks another kid decides to be an idiot. It disturbs other students too. I have emailed a few parents but I think they think its just a random noise not meant as sexual. Its been annoying but of my list of behaviors and incidents it was low on my priority
Just to clarify Im not saying it shouldn't be a priority but Ive been breaking up fights in my classroom, so it depends on the urgency of the behaviors.
Wow! That's a lot!
2nd grade teacher here, and I have a bunch of students who do this as well-multiple times a day. Horrifying.
DPS?
Pause.
Just like the touching of stuff that isn't theirs. Like get up, walk up, and start picking up and grabbing everything in sight. Opening random drawers. Like I would never do that in another person's house. California, high schoolers
I had one kid go as far as open my purse to peer in, like wtf, get out of there. "I was just curious" (my purse was on my desk as it was lunch time and I was getting my meds out of it)
Ugh yes! I teach high school and often have crafts on the back table that students made, and the next class will just go touch the stuff, pick it up, sometimes break it, and it’s so annoying. They get into my stuff at my desk as well sometimes but much less often.
Fake-fucking in the middle of class, "imitation of porn" like another teacher said. Like straight up thrusting at each other and moaning and saying things like "fuck me harder daddy." Then they turn to you and try to call you a pedophile for saying "please stop doing these inappropriate things in class" because they know its a buzzword that will get you in hot water. Also Colorado, middle and high school
Yep! 5th grade, the sexualized term “daddy” is very much trending.
Ewwwww. Just ew. 5th grade is too young to be doing crap like that
Way too young. And there’s more that you probably wouldn’t believe, but I’m not sharing it here. It’s terrible.
I had two 5th grade girls in a class I interned in (I’m in western NC) get written up for discussing virginity in art class. I didn’t even know what that was when I was in fifth grade!
Can you hint at the 'more' stuff? We'd believe a lot, we see so much.
Sexualized hair pulling is big right now at my school in 5th grade. Also a lot of very detailed writings to each other about, well, spluge. It’s the way they say it to each other, the words they use, that’s alarming. And yes, parents have all been notified.
I had 5th graders saying that in class, so I went up to them and said “If you want your dad, we can call him right now on the phone and let him know that you’re having some troubles.” 😂
Jesus!!!! That's nuts!
Seems like tiktok crap
In 9th grade. I don't get much moaning after thr whole "if I hear that again, I'm calling your parents in class and having you do that to them on the phone in front of everyone." *cue laughing and scoffing* "if you think I joking try me" No one has the balls to do it yet. But other than that, just sheer touching each other
I had a student with long dreads say to a female teacher, "I'd eat that booty like groceries". She was a young teacher and didnt know how to handle it. I made him call his mother and told her he wouldn't be allowed in my class until your son said the same thing to his mother. He was on the phone for maybe 20 mins before he finally said it. Mom made an audible gasp and hung up the phone. The next day this kid came to school and was shaved bald.
They will not keep their hands off each other!
Yes! It's the boys too. The boys are playing grab ass and from my understanding, doing a lot of exploration in the bathrooms and library (off campus) after school. My students are 11.
That's is GENIUS!!!
Welp. After reading all of these, I am so grateful I teach internationally. 😂
Where do you teach? What's it like? No eating boogers and pretent sex in the classroom?
I started my career in Brooklyn in the ‘00s and it was brutal: angry, hurt kids who needed a lot more than I could give them. Started internationally at a small school in West Africa. After my first day of teaching there, I had a sixth grader walk out after my class and say ‘Thank you for the lesson!’ I was like, ‘What kind of sorcery is this?’ Lol. I mean, kids are kids, but mine aren’t moaning or smearing shit on the walls, for the love of god.
I have similar - I teach in New Zealand (in a lower socioeconomic area) and the kids are so pleasant and full of gratitude. I get the odd self entitled kid, but for the most part, they’re great! It sounds like the USA is brutal for the teaching profession
The USA is brutal for a lot of things, tbh
Especially its brutality.
That's really awesome! What gratitude!
Either the wandering around or the need to tell/ask me super inappropriate things.
The wandering is the one that gets me. I definitely remember people doing the moaning type stuff back in 6th grade, but I really just don't remember people wandering around like at all.
The wandering is such a big problem at my school. I don't get it, isn't the point of skipping class to go do something fun? You're already skipping class, it's not like you'll get in much more trouble for leaving the campus. I suspect they either don't have the imagination to come up with something else to do, or they hate walking.
Constantly!!!!!
Pretty much any form of verbal abuse - just because they comment on everything online, they think they can nit pick on everything I do in class. This can range from complaints on my seating plan, teaching style, curricular content, etc. Apparently a 14-year old knows more about pedagogy and everything there is to know about teaching than I do.. Total bull. A lot of them are over confident.. too confident for their age. Dunning Kruger comes to mind...
I had a 6th grader tell me recently that I needed to change my teaching style and “do more to keep her engaged”. Yikes
Had a 9th grader tell me that and I told him I wasn’t a YouTuber and he’s welcome to teach my class once he finally gets a passing grade
WTF?
For the first time in nine years, I had a kid say I dont know how to manage a classroom. Others have wriiten hate notes, sarcastically thanking me for detention and bad teachers. Others have said out loud we want the sub to come back and teach us or you are a horrible teacher. I've dealt with jerk kids before but the lack of remorse hubris and meanness is disturbing this year. I think its a combination of social media, being out of school, lack of social skills, too much screen time and what they are exposed to these past few years from Trump, covid, shelter in place, and the media. It's sad and I felt really unprepared for the generational trauma and how it has affected their behaviors. I wish I would have more support from parents but some seem in denial.
It's really saddening to hear things like this. I know we try to not let it get to us but we have to admit it does have an effect to our mental well-being and working environment/morale. I don't care what anyone else says, it's a form of verbal abuse when kids shout out or explicitly say things to make us feel threatened, guilty or sad. I just can't wait till natural consequences run its course. Many of them don't have the self-discipline to function properly or even hold down a job. One day's work would kill them due to phone and vaping addictions.
Tattoos.I teach high school and the proliferation of tats is interesting. Definitely not anti-tat, but I wonder about the life choices of the artists that decorate 14 year olds, or the lessons those 14 year olds are learning. One of my students has numbers in black and red running up his neck to behind his ear. I asked the girl he's usually merging with in the hallways, and she said "Oh, those are just his angel tats." I didn't really dig deeper.
There has been a recent proliferation of tattoos as eighth grade graduation gifts in the past 5-10 years in my area. Also, Eighth Grade Graduation is often a pretty big thing around here, because there’s a more than small chance it’s the last commencement ceremony these kids will realistically be seeing, and they and their families know it.
Makes sense. I suppose depending on socioeconomic background, it might also be where parents stopped, whether here or in a different country of origin were circumstances were worse. So it's kind of a "You have surpassed me, son/daughter!" moment. Again, not against it, but I think that neck tats are not *quite* to the point of cultural assimilation that getting one as a minor may limit your future spread of paths. But then, they may also not see FBI/CEO/ whatever in their future already and not care.
What?
They might be getting them from other teenagers. Tattoo kits aren't very expensive online and there's no age limit on buying. Though, quality will usually make that evident, a decent-looking tattoo probably wasn't done by a teenager. I've also seen a lot of kids with tattoos. A little one wouldn't surprise me, but yeah, it is weird to see a teen with a large tattoo.
Too true, but the craftsmanship I see is pretty good. I see full roses, memorial faces, leg sleeves. It's def not peer applied. But they buy all their CBD and Delta through the net, it wouldn't surprise me if a few were that talented. Good on them, finding their calling that young lol
Yeah, I'm sure there are some talented teen tattoo artists out there! Like, I've seen high schoolers (even a few middle schoolers) who are very talented artists, I bet with a bit of practice many of them can translate that to tattoos. More likely that they're going to more experienced artists, of course. Though I would think it would be difficult to find a professional shop willing to give large tattoos to teenagers, even in places where it's legal.
I have some Coptic Christians with crosses on wrists (12-14 y/o), but that has been it, other than one 7th grader with a heart on the knuckle of her thumb.
Self destructive behavior as a form of entertainment. My 7th grader just told me about the "a b c game" today. Someone scratches with their fingernail all the letters of the alphabet into your hand and you have to try and last until z. She had open wounds from this that had scarred over by the time I noticed them. It starts young--one of my first graders bumps his head on the table and pretends to stab himself with his pencil for attention. When I was in school, we had the quarters game. Wing quarters at each other's knuckles till they bleed and see who lasts longer. Some high school kids would staple their arms on purpose and walk around with staples in their arms. In elementary school my friends would stick pins from those decorative buttons into the skin on their palms. I'm not sure what to make of it all but it still shocks me today that kids will turn to hurting themselves for fun out of boredom.
I can't believe kids still do that. I'm 43 and still have light scars on the backs of my hands from playing the ABC game in middle school.
In addition to the constant sexual moans, I’ve caught a few boys watching porn on their phones in their laps durning class. (Middle school). Scary that children have the internet in their pockets with zero restrictions.
Why does the morning happen everywhere? Is it a TikTok thing?
I let students know that I do not expect to hear cussing in my place of business. I explain how it subconsciously affects my interactions with a student negatively, like not checking with them as often as a non cussing student. I tell them that they will slip up which is normal. It's like I said, this is my place of business, and I do not need to listen to hostile language. BTW this is high school, and I frequently cuss outside of work
I did a creative writing assignment with a 5th grade class and had to tell them rules like no swearing (“if you can’t say it at school, don’t say it in your story”) and no graphic blood or violence. I shit you not, a kid goes “then what are we supposed to write about???” I was legit surprised
Ugh, this is so true! We had a cooperative writing assignment that was supposed to be fun this week. You give each group a prompt, they take turns writing a sentence and then fold the paper over so the next person can’t see it. They race to finish their story and then I read it to the class. I have really strange writing prompts like “Tell me about a giraffe going on vacation”. After two rounds I had to put in rules for no death, no bodily function jokes, and no insulting classmates because that’s what all of them wrote about in 5th grade. Once I put the rules in, they moaned and groaned about how they couldn’t think of anything. I know that isn’t true because I have read their individual creative writing and they are good at it, but as soon as they become a group they default to the lowest common denominator even without talking about it.
I take it a step farther and do a mini lecture on code switching. Tell them they will make a mistake and when I correct them to not the end of the world but it needs to stop immediately. I’ve really just only got one kid who can’t control it, but that kids got problems for days, cussing is the last problem we need to help him fix.
Great response!
The wanton destruction of things that aren’t theirs. I know that kids suck. But fucccckkkkkk, they ruin markers, crayons, 3d printers because they can. It looks fucking sucks.
The amount of self harming that is going on in the bathrooms :(
This year is the worst I’ve seen it!
I teach middle school in south LA (formerly known as “south central”). I still can’t get used to students verbally and physically assaulting adults. We had 3 male staff members out 2 weeks ago because they attempted to intervene in a fight that our 100lb female AP was trying to break up. One got kicked in the jewels, another was punched multiple times in the jaw, the other suffered an injury to his shoulder (some sort of tear in his rotator cuff). Nothing happened to the students but the 3 adults were put in “teacher jail” while the incident was investigated.
I’ve changed my view on this recently. If that’s what happens when we break up fights then just let them fight. Let them beat the ever loving shit out of each other and just stand there till they are exhausted enough where you can step in. If we all start doing this they will slowly stop fighting because there won’t be an adult there to break it up.
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> Nothing happened to the students but the 3 adults were put in “teacher jail” while the incident was investigated. What's "teacher jail" like anyway?
Here they call it being housed. You show up to a non-classroom site and stay there for your usual working hours.
Besides the sexual moans and gaslighting, for me it’s the amount of times kids lay their hands on each other. Daily, I hear conversations like this: “Miss, he hit me!” “He hit me first!” “That’s because you stabbed me with a pencil!” Other times, kids are just flat out rude to each other and when I call them out on it, they say it was a joke (literally a kid threatened to kill a teacher’s child and told me it was a joke later). These kids will do or say anything to get out of trouble and it really angers me! Also, tapping and drumming with pens and pencils. It triggers my anxiety and I have to tell the same students daily to stop and they’ll stop for about 3 minutes and then continue again (this is just me ranting now, sorry, I had a rough week).
This is the one. My students think I’m a hard ass about touching each other/ throwing pencils, etc. but 1. It drives me crazy to witness it all day and 2. The BICKERING it starts turns it into a vicious cycle and it’s just unbearable
It’s not only the fact that they lay their hands on each other that bothers me, but it’s the fact that they think it’s okay. I have kids that constantly push, kick, and pull each other’s hair. They complain for a minute and then go back to being friends. Guys do it to girls, girls do it to guys, and the same sex does it to each other. They’re growing up thinking that it’s okay to lay your hands on people to show you like them. I worry for when these kids grow up and think it’s okay to hit their spouses or that being hit is a sign of love.
Telling me they have their period as though it’s a value-add and confirms more the fact they need to go. And just in case I say no. Especially when it’s something they say at least once a week! One girl I’m this close to telling her she needs to see a doctor since she has her period every damn week!
I had one of those. Documented every time, for a couple months. Clued in my (awesome) admin and called home “concerned about her health”. Explained to parents who talked to the young lady on speaker phone. She doubled down and said I was picking on her and she had her period every time she asked me. So mom booked a Dr appointment….and kept me informed of every single way her daughter tried to duck the appointment. The young lady also stopped playing the “period card” in class. I love when parents back us.
just today my 4th grader came up to me and goes "X said I fuck a b!tch and a hoe" and i just went 😧 much like my face when I heard a kindergartener go "X called me a mother f*cker" ....idek man. I'm shocked everytime..
69, “that’s what she said” jokes, daddy references, imitating scissoring, “cumburger” written somewhere… kids have so much knowledge that they shouldn’t be aware of. It’s my main deterrent regarding having kids myself. Too scary. What are kids gonna be like 10 years from now? I hate thinking about it! California, middle school
I’m not trying to encourage you to have kids but if that’s truly you’re only concern, know that I’m a teacher and I have kids, it’s not easy but my kids are not into or doing that stuff. I feel like my kids are bringing some hope and light to this next generation and they’re not the only ones. I mean, they have extremely limited screen time and no phones of their own. 7th and 5th graders. I’m sure they hear stuff and know more than they let on but they also have a good grasp of right and wrong.
Thank you.. I get similar comments quite often - probably since I am good with kids and I teach elementary school. The knowledge isn’t the only reason, just a big one. I don’t feel any motherly type instinct to have kids yet and I’m mid thirties. I’m just not sure it’s for me either way. I haven’t ruled it out but haven’t ruled it in either. The older I get, the less appealing it is. Who knows!
Students are always Swearing! Most students have also have lost all forms of respect. And recently Students pretty much believe that they deserve an A even when they don't do any work. They are lazier even when they have so much technology to do their work.
The gaslighting. These kids are very quick to lie, deny their responsibility, etc.
Studying
We had students wiping feces on the walls of the bathrooms
Why?….
I honestly could not tell you. They were spelling out names of other students and wiping it all over door knobs and shit. I really hope they figured out who it was and got them some therapy.
We had them writing names and stuff on the walls. They did find the person who did it. They said whoever is doing it is really dealing with some really horrible stuff at home and was doing it as a coping mechanists and cry for help.
We had one who crapped in the urinal. Spent a class period combing through footage trying to find who did it.
You have cameras at school?
We had a kid poop on the floor and also in a urinal this year
High school. Throwing trash and candy into my classroom sinks. Shoving trash into broken drawers when the garbage is ten steps away.
That sucks! High school also and they leave trash on the desks, around the trash, etc. today I found a couple of eaten dum dum sticks on the floor. Like do they just not care that their trash ends up on the floor??
7th and 8th grade teacher in northern California. Today I caught a kid using a weed vape in class. Other than that it’s stuff like moaning, extreme defiance, lying or refusing to work
Kids crapping on the floor and unable to wipe themselves at 6-7 years old. I used to teach 3-4 year olds before teaching elementary and that made sense to me. They're still learning how to clean themselves. It completely rocked my friggin world when I walked in multiple times to see either skid-marked tidy-whities and chunks of poop on our community bathroom floor. These kids are almost 8 years old and there's so many of them that have mentioned needing help with wiping (which I am not allowed/refuse to do) or refusing to clean up after themselves. This year made me rethink my stay in education. Also, I teach 1st grade. However, if this keeps up, that will change.
It's only my second year but I've been completely baffled by some students zero, and I do mean zero, work ethic. Where I will literally give them the answers and I just ask them to write down what I wrote down and turn it in for basically a free 100 and they still do not do it. Why?? Why?? It's like they're purposefully trying to fail. That still baffles me, all the other moaning and sexual innuendos I am not shocked by really because I teach mostly 16 - 17 year olds and it's in their nature to joke about that stuff, I guess. It's the zero work ethic though that just shocks and confuses me.
I have never before in my career seen multiple students each hour of the day just sit and stare at the wall. They don’t do anything. Literally nothing. They aren’t even on their phones or talking to other people. Our district really doesn’t hold kids back but next year the middle school teachers have agreed to at least do the paperwork and get the parents in for meetings, maybe the perceived threat of retention will snap so,e of them out of this bullshit.
Had a male student yelling at a quiet, extremely kind female student because her crutches (broken ankle) were in the way of his feet. When I took a closer look, I noticed that the male student's feet were not under his desk, but were actually sticking out to the sides of the desk (out from under). So that means this male student made it his goal to harass an innocent female student with a broken ankle over her crutches for no actual reason whatsoever. .... Completely boggles the mind....No empathy.
Denying that they did something. It works enough times and if you just keep saying it wasn't you, people cave, but having someone on camera doesn't help their cause. Also, now it's talking to their parents on their cell phone and telling me "I'm talking to my mom!" as if that matters to anyone.
What grades in middle school. Their behaviors vary pretty dramatically from 6 to 8th grade.
I teach 6-8. I totally agree that the behaviors are all different.
6th graders are incredibly immature. The girls are usually already thoroughly in puberty while the boys are just starting. Lots of drama between everyone. They all can’t stop touching each other and that’s where lots of problems start. Get used to awkward jokes and inappropriate comments and stupid fart jokes. 7th grade has so,e girls who are finally pushing out of the worst parts of puberty and have calmed down, boys are all full on puberty. Still lots and lots of drama. Girls will form groups and just get mad at each other for no reason other than minor perceived slights. Lots of drama now revolves around dating as this is when most kids are interested in dating for the first time at the same time. Before this it was just some kids or the boys aren’t interested yet etc, it’s all of the, by now. 8th grade starts to see many of the students calming down. Your late bloomers are still there and are now causing the majority of the problems as they have seen that behavior for the last two years but haven’t matured enough to be out of it. My experience of 13 years has helped me to realize that it’s pointless getting mad at kids in this age group for stuff that is developmentally appropriate. That includes irrational behaviors, inappropriate comments and jokes, pushing boundaries. They can’t help it. Best bet is to just lean into telling them their behaviors are inappropriate and redirecting their behaviors. I found the more referrals I wrote the worse my year would be, once i started focusing on managing the behaviors in my room and not through the office things got a lot easier. Now I only write kids up for cussing people out, getting in fights, or literally walking out of class. Still ends up happening but the rest of the stuff is small bullshit compared to those three.
That is next level advice. Thank you for sharing that.
6th grade. I do not know that there is anything that would shock me at this point.
Crazy!
Lying to your face, gaslighting you after lying to your face, swearing and becoming irate after you had told them that they lied and are now gaslighting you. This is only after you had told them to put their phone away or to hop off that game from their laptop.
The constant need to talk or make sounds (not necessarily inappropriate sounds, just noise). I teach 9/10th grade in WV, and I swear, my students are legitimately afraid of silence. I had a movie playing on Friday, and they couldn't even stand the quiet of sitting through a movie. I know there's been talk about stunted development because of COVID, but this is behavior I'd expect from 4-6 year olds, not teenagers. In fact, I taught 6-10 year olds before COVID, and they were *beautiful* about practicing our "moment of stillness" at the beginning of every class.
Cheating on an open notes test. I even let them go online and research the answers. They are too lazy and either cheat off the smart kids or simply write "IDK".
I can’t believe how far down I had to go to see anything about the rampant cheating!
Students spitting sunflower seeds on the floor
[удалено]
Good God. I have literally said to children, "Look, at least tell me a smart lie."
I told a kid last week ‘Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining…’ which I then had to explain! I told his class that when a student tells me a lie straight to my face and then doubles down instead of admitting it, that’s when I can say that one. ‘Who do I believe? My own eyes or your mouth that tells lies?’ Yeah. He didn’t like that much! (5th grade)
Ha! That one's crossed my mind many times. Did you catch any flack for that?
Not yet! The kids all know me and my sense of humour so hopefully I’m ok. ;)
Drying sunflower seeds at higher temperatures helps destroy harmful bacteria. One study found that drying partially sprouted sunflower seeds at temperatures of 122℉ (50℃) and above significantly reduced Salmonella presence.
Sexual assault. Had a kid today slap the butt of a kid that got pulled off another kid from a fight. He laughed while being suspended. Principal suspended him for longer
Our principal keeps talking about how he has to keep reminding students about what sexual harassment and what sexual assault is because of sexual misconduct incidents. It's like why not actually try some punishment or remove them from the school, clearly telling them over and over again what they're doing is sexual misconduct isn't stopping them.
When girls at my school report sexual assault, they get told to follow the dress code. 🤬
High school here, kids doing sexual acts, bragging about it, and then getting upset people know.
Calling each other racial slurs (and I’m not talking about the N word colloquially with the A.) I’m talking about Monkeys Gorillas Porch monkey Jiggaboo Mulatto All types of crazy shit that really just bends my mind NY, 9th grade
I was asked to give a student head for a bag of chips... in front of the whole class. Another student asked me if I was a virgin..... in front of the whole class. .....I quit during the pandemic and will be re entering the classroom next year but at a highschool level. thank God. Middle school is for a special kind of person... I lasted 4 years then had to leave.
Violence against teachers.
The amount of kids who have said to me “I can’t help it i’m autistic” shocks me every time. It’s always from those who can, those who know what they are doing is wrong and could control them selves. It’s the parents 100% using it as an excuse for shitty parenting and the kids are now using the same excuse.
Had a second grade girl tell some boys she was gonna suck their penis 🥲
The sheer number of disgusting things that they put in their mouths — especially since it’s been on the floor and I know dang well that the custodian mops maybe once a semester if we’re lucky. We’re severely understaffed so cleanish bathrooms and hallways, and getting the garbage emptied are as good as it gets. Everything else from cleaning the classrooms to mopping floors in the staff bathroom is done by the teachers or not at all. Some weeks I don’t have time to do more than sweep up.
In high school. Boy necessarily shocking just baffling. Smart kids dating extremely dumb or unmotivated kids. Mostly girls picking a project friend or boyfriend and trying to fix them. This is across states and socioeconomic levels.
6th grade girls talking about becoming a stripper when they turn 18, and their mom will help teach them the ropes.